Words originally for Outline Magazine
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| L-R: Kapil Trivedi, Blaine Harrison, Jack Flanagan, Will Rees |
Anyone
who’s been a music fan in the last decade will have had a brush or two with
Mystery Jets, the mop-haired pretty-boys from London who soundtracked most of
the noughties with their delightful indie jangles. But after a few years off
and with a new line-up partnering a more mature sonic presence, the foursome
are making their way back up the pecking order. Complete with cake and party
hats, they came to Norwich Waterfront for a celebratory blowout, featuring new
cuts and golden oldies.
London
outfit The Big Moon support. It’s
their first visit to our humble city and they’re on early, but after a year on
the road with everyone from Ezra Furman to The Maccabees, the quartet’s act is more
than ship-shape for supporting purposes. Cupid
is their latest single, a bouncy, spunky affair that translates fantastically
from record to a live setting. Nothing
Without You is upbeat and playful, as is a cover of Madonna’s Beautiful Stranger, complete with
screeching riffs and deal-with-it tempo changes. Better than the original? Duh.
Noise rock elements meet angelic harmonies on The Road, before Sucker
brings a grungey close to a phenomenal debut Norwich performance. The Big Moon
play The Lake Stage at Latitude this July – go see them, or regret when they
make it big time.
Telomere opens both Mystery Jets’ new record ‘Curve of the Earth’, and their set
tonight under the cover of darkness. Will Rees’ spine-tingling guitar scratches
fit gloriously into the grandeur of Blaine Harrisons’s keys and vocals, which glide
the space-age rock number to triumphant heights. Serotonin and Flash a Hungry
Smile light up the room in a synth-heavy extravaganza that shows how well
these songs have stood the test of time. Bassist-stroke-indie-dreamboat Jack
Flanagan is the youngest member (having joined full time in 2014) and is easily
the most delightful to watch. Adorned in an ankle length fur coat, he
introduces Midnight’s Mirror, “a
prog-rock exploration”, and an unexpected highlight of the show. It’s darker
and more off-piste than the sunshine pop numbers MJ fans are used to. But it
fits perfectly, Rees’ punchy riffs intertwining yet again with Harrison’s keys
and Flanagan’s murky bass. Kapil Trivedi completes the group, guiding “an old
one”, Half in Love With Elizabeth to
a powerful peak of nostalgia and energy from his position on the drums.
More cuts
from ‘Curve of the Earth’ fill the second half of the set; Bombay Blue starts downbeat before erupting into a storm of rock
fusion, Bubblegum (a strong contender
for song of the year) escalating the ambience tenfold. Musically, an almost
orchestral tone is adopted as ambitious levels of reverb fuse dazzling
synthesizers with modest yet powerful acoustic guitars, a scatty drum machine
pitter-pattering comfortably away in the background.
It’s Rees’
birthday, and he doesn’t escape without a sing-along and party hats being
passed into the audience. Young Love
adds to the celebratory vibe before Alice
Springs brings a spellbinding end to the main set. But everyone knows
there’s more to come. Someone Purer
heads up our encore, made all the more special as it’s the only cut from 2012’s
‘Radlands’ we hear. Harrison asks that his audience sing the first verse to Two Doors Down and we oblige of course,
before the band join in to finish, and Flakes
concludes our night of fun with a joyous sing-along and arm waves.
Five
records in, it may surprise some to see Mystery Jets playing a venue as small
as The Waterfront. But make no mistake, ten plus years of gigging has only seen
these dream boys grow into experienced and slick performers. And with the
incredible new album pushing them towards legendary status, I for one would not
be surprised if the best is yet to come.
Curve of the Earth by Mystery Jets is out now. Read my review here.
Cupid by The Big Moon is out now.
Facebook: Mystery Jets / The Big Moon
Twitter: Mystery Jets / The Big Moon
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